Asian Tsunami

Lord Triesman: I should like to make a Written Statement on the commemorative events planned for the anniversary of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. This follows previous Statements to the House on 22 March and 28 June 2005.
	I wish to express again my deepest sympathies and condolences and those of the entire Government to the family and friends of all the British nationals who lost their lives in the tsunami and to all the British nationals who suffered trauma or injury. This feeling, I am sure, is shared by every Member of the House. And we remember too the millions of people from the region who lost loved ones or whose lives have been shattered by the tsunami. The anniversary on 26 December will be a very painful time for all those affected by the disaster; our thoughts and prayers will be with them.
	British victims of the tsunami
	We have now confirmed that a total of 149 British nationals died as a result of the tsunami: 129 in Thailand, 17 in Sri Lanka and three in the Maldives. The bodies of 143 of these people have been identified. The bodies of the remaining six have not yet been identified. There is one British national whose death has not been confirmed and who is still listed as a category one missing person—that is, highly likely to have been caught up in the tsunami.
	Anniversary arrangements
	On the morning of 26 December, the Royal Thai Government are arranging events in six separate locations where the greatest loss of life occurred. One memorial event will be held on Phi Phi Island; two in the Khao Lak area; and three in the Phuket area. A memorial foundation-stone laying ceremony will take place in Khao Lak on the afternoon of 26 December, followed in the evening by an inter-faith service. Both of these events will be attended by the Prime Minister of Thailand. I will represent the Government at the anniversary events.
	We expect that around 130 British nationals will travel to Thailand for the anniversary. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's priority will be to provide support for families of the British victims during this very difficult time. As part of the special package of assistance which I agreed for victims of the tsunami, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will cover the travel and accommodation costs of a number of British nationals travelling to Thailand to mark this anniversary. Some of those families who have already taken advantage of this package of assistance and some of those injured will have their travel and accommodation provided for by the Royal Thai Government. A few families have chosen to travel independently, and will make their own arrangements.
	The families of all British victims will be met at Bangkok airport and at Phuket airport and given assistance with travel to official commemorative events on 26 December. If they wish, officials from the Government and the British Red Cross will accompany them during their visit. The British Ambassador, David Fall, and I will attend a religious service and host a reception in Phuket on 24 December for the families and for survivors.
	In Sri Lanka, many communities and religious groups along the coast will hold events to mark the anniversary of the tsunami. The Sri Lankan authorities are not planning to hold a large-scale commemoration ceremony but they are organising an inter-faith service on the evening of 26 December in the town of Bentota, on the south-west coast. We expect that 15 British nationals will travel out to Sri Lanka for the anniversary. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will cover the accommodation and travel costs of some of those going out through the special package of assistance. Others are travelling independently. The Sri Lankan Government will also mark the anniversary with a remembrance service held on the morning of 26 December at their High Commission in London.
	The Maldives Government are not planning to commemorate the anniversary as the whole of this year has been declared a year of national unity to mark the tsunami. We are not expecting any British nationals to travel there for the anniversary itself.
	My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell) has recently visited India, Thailand and Sri Lanka to thank all the staff and volunteers for their work in the aftermath of the tsunami. In Thailand she discussed arrangements for the forthcoming anniversary commemoration with the Thai Government.
	The Government deeply appreciate the tremendous support and kindness shown by the governments and the peoples of all the countries in which British people were killed. At a time when they were each overwhelmed by their own national tragedies, they have shown enormous compassion and generosity to the nationals of other countries.
	Ongoing government response
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to provide support and assistance to British nationals affected by the tsunami. The United Kingdom has a dedicated consular team in Phuket for this purpose. We have also encouraged the British Red Cross to use some of the money which was donated by the public for tsunami relief to assist British families who are suffering financial hardship. The fund will primarily be available to UK residents, and grants will be made available to individuals who have been seriously affected by the tsunami, whether through bereavement, injury or trauma. Funds are also available for those otherwise unable to afford travel to events such as the formal inquest in West London. Payments from the fund will normally be single grants of up to £10,000 per individual in respect of financial hardship and up to £2,000 for those requiring private psychological treatment.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has taken over the running of the Red Cross helpline which had been funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This helpline offers support and telephone counselling to all victims of the tsunami and provides advice on, for example, how victims can get long-term psychological help or on how to access the benefits system. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also funding the Red Cross tsunami support network which was set up by the Red Cross and was also initially funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	Police family liaison officers got back in touch with all the families of the victims in the run-up to the formal inquest into the majority of the British deaths last week. Three British police officers are still seconded to the international disaster victim identification team in Thailand and are expected to remain there until the end of February.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is continuing to improve its crisis management procedures in the light of the recently published joint report by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the National Audit Office on lessons learned from our response to the tsunami. The report concludes that Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff in the region and in London "coped tremendously well under severe pressure" and that they had "worked extremely long hours and made great personal sacrifices". But the unprecedented scale of the tsunami meant that some people did not get the level of support which we would have wanted to give them. Where that happened, I have apologised to the families affected and we have listened to their suggestions for how we could have done better.
	The joint report includes detailed recommendations on how the Foreign and Commonwealth Office can further improve its emergency response. We have accepted those recommendations in full; we have already implemented some and others are in hand. So, for example, although we had put in place new arrangements with the police for handling calls in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the police call centre could not cope with the volume of traffic generated by the tsunami—at times more than 10,000 calls an hour. We are now part of new police call handling arrangements which route emergency calls across their national network; and we are looking at a way to register missing people online, taking some of the load off people staffing the telephones.
	I was and remain determined to learn lessons so that our consular crisis management, an area in which the National Audit Office recognised the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as "world leaders", is the very best it can be.
	Support for countries affected by the tsunami
	The Government have allocated the equivalent of around £275 million to disaster relief and reconstruction in the tsunami-affected countries, including the Indonesian province of Aceh which took the brunt of the tsunami. This can be broken down into: £75 million of bilateral funds allocated to the humanitarian relief effort; £65 million of bilateral funds to the longer-term reconstruction phase; £50 million through tax relief on public donations made through the Gift Aid scheme; £40 million contributed through the European Union; and £45 million by adding Sri Lanka to the list of countries eligible for the United Kingdom's new multilateral debt relief initiative.

Crossrail

Lord Davies of Oldham: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Alistair Darling) has made the following Ministerial Statement.
	I am today making an additional £100 million available for the further development of Crossrail. This money will be used by Cross London Rail Links (CLRL)—the company held jointly by the department and TfL to assist them with promotion of the Crossrail Bill—to provide proper support to the project as we take the Crossrail hybrid Bill through Parliament over this period. It will also allow CLRL, working with the department and TfL, to do necessary research and planning before the Crossrail scheme can enter its next phase of development.
	The case for Crossrail is clear and the Government have long said that they are committed to the scheme. This is a further sign of that commitment. This is a complex long-term project but important features are being determined at this stage. Money spent properly now will see its reward later in a better planned, better designed and therefore better value for money final scheme. But that does not mean that resource is unlimited. The grants I am announcing today will allow CLRL to make a start on a detailed programme of work for the development of Crossrail. My department will continue to monitor expenditure on the project to ensure best value as the Bill continues through Parliament.
	These grants will be paid to CLRL by my department under Section 6 of the Railways Act 2005.

EU Presidency: Economic and Financial Affairs Council

Lord McKenzie of Luton: My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	On 6 December I chaired the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) in Brussels. The Paymaster General, the right honourable Dawn Primarolo MP, represented the UK.
	For the first time the council agreed conclusions setting out the reforms necessary for Europe to respond successfully to the opportunities and challenges of globalisation. The council also agreed conclusions on the implementation of the first Lisbon national reform programmes.
	The council discussed the joint UK, Austrian and Finnish presidencies paper Advancing Better Regulation in Europe.
	The council agreed to refer proposals to reform reduced rates of value added tax to the European Council on 15 and 16 December.
	The council heard a report from the chair of the Code of Conduct Group, the Paymaster General, the right honourable Dawn Primarolo MP.
	The council took note of a presentation by Commissioner McCreevy on the Commission's white paper on EU financial services policy 2005–10.
	As part of its work in combating terrorist financing, the council agreed a general approach, pending the European Parliament's opinion in first reading, on a draft regulation addressing payer information accompanying transfer of funds; and took note of progress in implementing the EU's action plan on combating terrorism.
	The council discussed oil and related energy market issues.

EU Presidency: Employment and Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (James Plaskitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Employment and Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council was held on 8 and 9 December in Brussels. Employment and social policy issues were taken on 8 December. Health and consumer affairs were taken on the 9 December. The council was chaired by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (John Hutton), apart from the agenda item on the Working Time Directive which was chaired by my right honourable friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Alan Johnson). I represented the UK seat apart from the Working Time Directive agenda item when my honourable friend the Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs (Gerry Sutcliffe) took that role.
	The first item was a presidency report from the informal meeting of heads of state and Government, Hampton Court, 27 October. The presidency recalled that Hampton Court, in endorsing the Commission's paper on European Values in the globalised world, had agreed a coherent framework for future thinking on social justice, globalisation and demography. The Employment and Social Policy Council would take the lead on following up work on demographic change.
	A policy debate on demography and human capital revealed a high degree of consensus on the broad approach. Discussions covered labour market participation, the need to extend working lives, reconciling work and family life, increasing momentum towards gender equality in access to employment, regulated immigration mitigating effects of demographic change and free movement within the EU being achieved before third country immigration. The Commission agreed that all the areas identified by member states were important and must be co-ordinated into a coherent overall strategy. The presidency concluded that the council would return to this issue during discussions on the joint implementation report in the New Year.
	The chairman of the Employment Committee (EMCO) outlined the key conclusions from the examination of national reform programmes. These are the annual reports on each member state's progress towards achieving the Lisbon goals which outline their focused policy objectives. The council noted EMCO's report, and the presidency concluded that EMCO's findings would be useful to the Commission in its preparation of the joint implementation report, and in preparations for the spring council.
	The council reached agreement on two dossiers: a partial political agreement on a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (PROGRESS) which involved agreement on all parts of the programme without budgetary implications; and, political agreement on a common position on the gender recast directive which aims to simplify, modernise and improve existing EU law on equal treatment between men and women. The presidency advised that the European Parliament had confirmed its undertaking not to adopt any amendments in second reading if the council adopted the common position on the basis of the text negotiated in the informal discussions.
	The commissioner introduced the proposed directive on portability of occupational pensions, which seeks to facilitate the acquisition, transfer and protection of occupational pension rights, with the aim of reducing barriers to worker mobility. The presidency gave some feedback from exchanges in council working groups: a number of issues would need to be addressed before the dossier was ready to be discussed at ministerial level.
	There was a lengthy debate on the directive of the European Parliament and of the council amending Directive 2003/88/EC concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time; the presidency prepared revised texts for discussion and the council almost reached agreement on a package which retained the opt out and solved the doctors' on call issue. However, despite intense negotiation, concerns about clarifying that the limits in the directive apply per worker rather than per job/contract meant this agreement could not finally be reached. The presidency agreed to reflect on the best way forward.
	Under any other business the council noted reports from the presidency on the tenth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action—which reviews annually gender equality issues—and presidency conferences on health and safety, corporate social responsibility, and social inclusion. The council also noted a report from Luxembourg on the 4 European meeting of persons in a situation of poverty, and two information items from the Commission, on the biennial report on disability, and on a memorandum of understanding between the Commission and China on employment and social affairs.

Iraq: Roulement

Lord Drayson: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Dr John Reid) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The United Kingdom keeps under constant review, in consultation with coalition partners, the troop numbers required to assist the Iraqi security forces (ISF) in Multi-National Division South-East.
	We continue to work with the ISF, with training, mentoring and an equipment and infrastructure programme towards the conditions for formal transfer of security responsibilities. Until those conditions are achieved, it is important that we retain the operational flexibility to respond to any change in the security environment, and ensure that this important programme with the ISF is not disrupted.
	To ensure that this remains the case, the General Officer Commanding (SE) needs to retain forces to provide security along our principal lines of communication. At present the 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment provides the capability, and will be replaced in January 2006 by the 1st Battalion, The Royal Scots Regiment (IRS).

Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills

Lord Adonis: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Ruth Kelly) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	In July 2005 I launched a consultation on the creation of a single inspectorate for children and learners. I am today publishing my conclusions in the light of the responses. I am grateful to everyone who responded to the consultation and I have taken careful consideration of the points made, developing my proposals significantly in light of those comments.
	I intend to proceed, as proposed in the consultation, to establish an enlarged Ofsted. This will be achieved by bringing together into Ofsted the children's social care remit of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) inspection remit of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Court Administration (HMICA) and the inspection remit of the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI). The enlarged organisation will have the formal title of the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills.
	ALI, CSCI and HMICA have played vital roles in driving up standards in their respective sectors. But I am convinced of the benefits to users and providers of services of an inspectorate that can look across a wide range of services as they affect children, young people, families and adult learners.
	The enlarged Ofsted will be able to follow learning from early years through to adult and work-based settings. It will support the needs of employers and business whilst at the same time sustaining focused, high-quality inspections of standards in our schools and, building on existing activity, across wider services for children, including social care for vulnerable children and young people.
	The changes also reflect the drive to integrate services around improving outcomes for the user, for example through the integration of local services for children as set out in the Every Child Matters Green Paper, and the bringing together of academic and vocational learning outlined in the 14-19 White Paper. It is part of the wider reform of public service inspection to focus on needs of users, generate improvement in the services inspected, and help deliver better value for money.
	Inspection and regulation have been powerful levers for improvement in services for children and learners in recent years. As we move into the next stage of inspection reform it will be essential to build on the strengths of current arrangements and the expertise of existing inspectorates, but also to reflect current and planned changes in the pattern of services, new arrangements for performance management and accountability and our increasing knowledge about what makes for effective inspection and regulation.
	The Government will continue to work closely with inspectorates and others to ensure an effective transfer of inspection remits.

PowderJect: Supply of Vaccines

Lord Drayson: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Don Touhig) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	There have been no reports that any vaccines provided by PowderJect to the Ministry of Defence have been substandard.

Railways: Greater Western and Thameslink/Greater Northern Franchises

Lord Davies of Oldham: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Alistair Darling) has made the following Ministerial Statement.
	I am announcing today that First Group has been awarded contracts to run the Greater Western and Thameslink/GN (Great Northern) franchises. Both contracts will commence on 1 April next year.
	The contracts have been awarded following a rigorous, competitive and independent bidding process. Both are tough and will deliver value for money for the taxpayer and an improved service for passengers.
	The contract my department has signed for the Greater Western franchise commits First Group to operate the services from London to the South West and South Wales.
	Many of the concerns raised following my department's consultation on the invitation to tender on the franchise have been addressed. In particular it commits First Group to retain the overnight sleeper between London and Penzance and retains the half-hourly off peak service between London and Cardiff.
	In excess of £200 million of private sector investment will be made within the early years of the franchise. This will contribute towards a complete redesign of the high-speed fleet. Together with the new timetable this will increase the number of standard class seats on trains between London and Reading in the morning and evening peak periods by more than 20 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.
	It will also fund a programme of station enhancements, including better customer information systems, passenger security measures including CCTV and 1700 new car parking spaces. Additional revenue protection staff and community support officers will also be provided.
	The contract is for 10 years, with the final three years dependent on achieving tough service performance targets.
	On the Thameslink/GN franchise First Group has been contracted to run services from Brighton, through London and on to Bedford, and from London to Cambridge and Peterborough.
	The timing and capacity of services to Bedford will be improved. Over £40m million of private sector investment will be made in the first three years. This will help improve the reliability and quality of the rolling stock, enhance stations and provide 600 additional car parking spaces.
	The franchise is for up to nine years. At the end of the fourth year the franchise will automatically continue for two years if performance improvement targets are met. Subject to my department's agreement, the franchise can then continue for up to three further years. This flexibility is necessary to facilitate work on the Thameslink 2000 Programme which was subject to a public inquiry under the Transport and Works Act.
	On both franchises First Group expects to deliver continuous improvement in service performance. In addition, it is contracted to provide premiums of £1,131 million for the Greater Western Franchise and £808 million for the Thameslink/GN franchise. This is funding that will be put to good use and reinvested back into the railways to help ensure rail services continue to improve.

School Admissions Codes of Practice

Lord Adonis: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Schools and 14-19 Learning (Jacqui Smith) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I have today placed copies of the summary of the responses received to the consultation on the School Admissions and School Admission Appeals Codes of Practice, and supporting regulations, in the Libraries of both Houses.
	We consulted on the codes of practice with the intention of having new codes in place from January 2006 for effect from September 2007 admissions onward. The consultation ran from 26 July to 18 October 2005. There has been a wide range of views and some points on which we wish to reflect further, particularly on the respective roles of local authorities, schools, admission forums and the schools adjudicators. Therefore, we have decided not to lay the revised codes at this time. The existing codes of practice will remain in force. We will, however, take forward the regulations on subjects approved for new aptitude selection and giving priority to looked-after children in admission arrangements. We remain fully committed to a system of fair admissions for all children.